The Modern York Times Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for February 15, 2026 (game #510) challenges solvers to sort twelve words into four themed groups. The daily brain‑teaser, published by The Athletic—a subscription sports site owned by The Times—offers a fresh homage to the Winter Olympics, with clues that range from straightforward to cryptic.
Today’s hints, posted on the official Connections page, guide players through each category. The yellow clue points to “Lillehammer is another one,” the green to “Great White North,” the blue to “Think Chloe Kim,” and the purple to “Look for a hidden word.” Using these prompts, the puzzle’s answers fall neatly into four distinct groups: previous Winter Olympic host cities, Canadian men’s hockey stars, snowboarding terminology, and words that end with a piece of winter‑sports equipment.
Below is a concise breakdown of the groups, the four answers that belong to each, and a brief look at why they fit the given hints.
Group 1 – Yellow: Previous Winter Olympic hosts
The yellow hint references Lillehammer, the 1994 host of the Winter Games, signaling that the four words are cities that have previously staged the Olympics. The correct answers are:
- Albertville
- Chamonix
- Oslo
- St. Moritz
Each of these locations—Albertville (1992), Chamonix (1924), Oslo (1952) and St. Moritz (1928, 1948)—served as official Winter Olympic venues, satisfying the “previous hosts” theme.
Group 2 – Green: Canada’s men’s hockey players
The green clue “Great White North” points to Canada, a powerhouse in men’s ice hockey. The four names that complete this set are:
- Celebrini
- Crosby
- Marner
- McDavid
All four are prominent members of Canada’s national team roster, making the connection clear for fans of the sport.
Group 3 – Blue: Snowboarding terms
“Think Chloe Kim” directs solvers toward snowboarding jargon, as the American snowboarder is a leading figure in the discipline. The terms identified are:
- cork
- frontside
- goofy
- McTwist
These words appear frequently in snowboard trick descriptions and competition commentary.
Group 4 – Purple: Words ending in a piece of winter‑sports equipment
The purple hint challenges players to locate hidden words that conclude with the name of a piece of equipment used on the slopes. The four solutions are:
- cheapskate
- chopstick
- Lipinski
- milestone
Each word terminates with “‑skate,” “‑stick,” “‑ski” and “‑stone,” respectively, satisfying the hidden‑word requirement.
How the puzzle works
Connections puzzles present twelve seemingly unrelated words. Players must group them into four categories, each defined by a common thread. The format mirrors the February 10, 2026 edition (game #505), which featured categories such as figure‑skating disciplines, Winter‑Olympic movies, hockey infractions and biathlon equipment — illustrating the variety of themes The Athletic curates for the Sports Edition [see example].
Unlike the standard NYT Connections that appears in the NYT Games app, the Sports Edition lives exclusively on The Athletic’s platform, though it can be accessed for free online or via the Athletic app.
Full solution snapshot
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 15, 2026.
Where to play and stay updated
Fans can tackle today’s puzzle directly on The Athletic’s Connections hub [official page]. The site also archives past editions and provides daily hints for other NYT games such as Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands.
As the Winter Olympics approach, puzzles like today’s serve both as a tribute to the Games’ history and a playful way to keep sports trivia fresh in the public mind.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Connections: Sports Edition (game #511) and share your own solving strategies in the comments below.
